Truckload Of Tarps Arrives A Day Late

18,000 To Be Given Out At Fairgrounds

Palm Beach County homeowners can finally get free tarps to cover their hurricane-damaged roofs.

A shipment of about 18,000 arrived Thursday at the South Florida Fairgrounds, said Pat Robbins, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which was responsible for distributing them.

The shipment came as a relief to county officials, who were expecting about 4,000 to arrive Wednesday. They were angry when the truck never arrived. County officials had only 1,000 tarps to distribute and about 50,000 requests.

"We're happy they're here so we can get them into the hands of people who need them," Brad Merriman, assistant county administrator, said.

Robbins said the truck drivers made it to St. Lucie County on Wednesday when they reached the maximum hours they were allowed to work for the day. The Corps of Engineers was expecting a large shipment of 37,000 tarps to arrive Thursday, so they gave the 4,000 on the truck to St. Lucie County officials, Robbins said.

The Palm Beach County shipment finally arrived around 2 p.m. Thursday, Merriman said. They are available at the South Florida Fairgrounds distribution center at 9067 Southern Blvd., west of West Palm Beach. He said only a few hundred were distributed Thursday, so plenty are available today. The distribution center is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The county also plans to give thousands of tarps to municipalities to distribute.

Before Thursday's shipment arrived, the county was giving the limited supply of tarps to county and city building officials who were inspecting roofs. Those in low-income housing with substantial damage were given priority. The tarps are being paid for with money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Scott Travis can be reached at stravis@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6637.